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tenthgrove · 3 years

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Omg imagine la squadra with a teenage teammate 👀 (platonic obvs but I'm 18 and I wonder how they'd act with a team member that's a lot younger than them) cause I hc them as being in their late 20s early 30s ‼️

Okay I love love love this idea! I decided to go for the approach of a younger teenager, someone around 14 or 15 years old, and make them someone who is keen to prove themselves and be respected, but still has all the fears that would be natural for someone in this situation so young, hidden beneath the front they put on.

La Squadra Interacting with a Younger Teammate

Formaggio- The prospect of La Squadra’s next recruit being a kid is actually quite appealing to Formaggio. He doesn’t get much respect from the rest of the team, but he hopes a teenager would be more impressionable, more easy to wow. As soon as the newcomer is through the door Formaggio is already pulling out his cool uncle act. He’s always begging to show them something cool (usually just some random thing he shrunk) or tell them a gruesome story from the job. He totally forgets how naturally weary they’re going to be as someone who recently moved teams. When he finally realises how uncomfortable he makes them, he feels very guiltridden and backs away. But then one day, by pure accident, he makes them laugh. Genuinely. Things ease up a lot after that.

Illuso- Since he isn’t particularly good with kids, Illuso thinks it’s best to just treat them the same as he does any other teammate. This doesn’t go well, their interactions clunky and awkward as the newcomer is unsure how to respond. Eventually, Illuso realises too and decides he’s going to have to change tactic. What do teenagers like? Mischief? While the idea of taking the kid around the mirror world to wreck havoc on the base is tempting, it would not go down well with Risotto once he finds out. What else is there? Gossip? Yes, that could work. When Illuso finds himself alone with the kid with nothing else to talk about, he starts telling them all the dirty secrets he’s collected about his team over the years. There’s nothing age innappropriate, but it’s enough to break down the image the kid has of La Squadra as humorless, intimidating adults. The others soon notice a change in the kid’s behaviour and congratulate Illuso for helping them settle in, however it was he managed to do that. Well, that certainly wasn’t Illuso’s intention, but he’ll take the applause anyway.

Pesci- The arrival of the newcomer marks a big change for Pesci. He’s no longer the youngest of the group, both in age and in experience. While he’s glad to lose the associated teasing, it fills him with a sense of responsibility he isn’t quite ready for. Being the youngest in the group gave him a slight feeling of immunity for all his fuck-ups, both real and percieved, and that’s gone now. Worse, he sees this kid and he sees someone far newer to the game than he is yet somehow still able to face it with more courage than he does. The kid scares him, really. It feels like he is the junior member of the dynamic they have together. Then one day he finds their phone in the front room. He knows the others have a habit of pinching things like this for mean-spirited jokes, so he puts his anxiety regarding the kid on hold to go up to their room and give it back to them. He didn’t expect to find them crying there. He rushes up to them immediately, patting them on the shoulder nervously to offer some comfort. He asks them what’s wrong. “Everything. I’m scared.” At the end of the day, they really are just a child.

Prosciutto- The second-in-command doesn’t have time to mentor the newcomer to the same extent he does with Pesci, but he’ll still keep an eye on them whenever he can. Any of those violent idiots could teach them to kill, but Prosciutto’s going to make sure they learn to carry themselves right as well. For one, they need to get rid of those grungy hoodies and jeans they insist on wearing. He supposes he’ll just have to take them shopping. Overall, he can seem quite harsh on the kid, but he has their best interests at heart. He wouldn’t be paying them any mind at all if he didn’t have faith in them to go far.

Melone- As is only natural with his stand, Melone is good with kids. Teenagers are a different matter, and with little concrete memory of the whirl of heartbreak and emotions that were his own teen years, Melone isn’t as sure of himself as he would like to be. So he takes the experimental method, observes how their reactions to certain interactions in order to figure out the best way of keeping them at ease. It’s overall a good approach, and Melone becomes one of the earlier members of the team who the newcomer opens up to. The only issue is the others. They do not trust him. So, Melone takes it upon himself to prove himself. He makes a point of adjusting his behaviour, abandoning some of his more unsavoury habits for good, and not just in the kid’s present. The others are surprised, but pleasantly so. Melone is thankful to the newcomer for improving his standing with the team in general.

Ghiaccio- He is not happy. He knows about other teams getting actual children dumped on them, but he never thought it would happen to them. It makes him absolutely furious; the last thing this team needs right now is some petulant brat to take care of. Ghiaccio will give them the cold shoulder for a long time. Eventually, it takes Risotto dragging him into his office and point-blank asking what his problem is to make him reconsider. Ghiaccio drags his heels, insists he needs nothing to do with the newcomer, but then Risotto reminds him how young Ghiaccio was when he got trapped in his life. That changes things. That evening, as Risotto watches on silently from the doorway, Ghiaccio approaches the newcomer in the sitting room. “Hey… kid… do you like video games?” he asks uncertainly. The kid perks up, surprised to hear such an offer from Ghiaccio of all people. They accept. Ghiaccio invites them to play with him often after that. Risotto doesn’t need to ask him.

Risotto- Well, this is interesting. Risotto finds the kid hard to deal with because of how much he sees himself in them. They’re pretty much the same age he was when his own life went to hell. Risotto may have trouble facing the newcomer, but he’ll do it anyway for their sake. He wants to do what he can to make their own youth easier than his, if only by a fraction. For them, he’ll let down his walls and be a confidante. He’ll let them be honest about their fears with him, and he’ll comfort them to the best of his ability. He doesn’t want them to end up like him. He doesn’t want them to lose their humanity.

Sorbet and Gelato- “Sorbet, that’s a baby.” “Christ, you’re right.” Sorbet and Gelato may be devoid of sympathy towards a majority of humanity, but they at least have it in them to feel sorry for a kid. Especially a kid dumped into the closest thing the couple has to a family. Truth is, Sorbet and Gelato have long desired a child of their own, but never truly believed the opportunity would present itself. They know taking in a scarred teenager a few years off from adulthood will never truly take the place of a child to call their own, but if this is the closest they can get, they’ll take it. So yeah, congratulations kid, meet your new group assinged fathers. Sorbet is the more realistic of the two, the one who reluctantly accepts the need to prepare the newcomer for mafia life. They develop a dynamic somewhat comparable to Pesci and Prosciutto, with Sorbet becoming the primary mentor for the child when Risotto is too busy. Gelato is the one who really tries to baby the kid, trying to keep them away from their work as much as possible and always fussing over them whenever a mission can’t be avoided. The kid might be reluctant to accept it, but it is what they need. At least once in a while.

#la squadra #jjba golden wind #formaggio #illuso #pesci #prosciutto #melone #ghiaccio #risotto nero #sorbet and gelato

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newmusickarl · 3 years

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Album & EP Recommendations

If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power by Halsey

Halsey’s evolution across her career has been quite something to witness. Having begun her career in pure pop territory, her artistry has developed over time with each new record seeing the American singer-songwriter up the ambition and scope of her music. Now with this her fourth album, Halsey has gone bigger than ever, teaming up with Nine Inch Nails members and Oscar-winning composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for her boldest work to date.

Produced entirely by Reznor and Ross, Halsey describes this new record as “a concept album about the joys and horrors of pregnancy and childbirth.” Naturally with any concept record there is going to be a cinematic feel, however Halsey has gone one step further and even delivered a full theatrical film to accompany the album, the trailer for which you can watch above. Although I am yet to see the film, there is no doubt that the musical portion is a mightily ambitious and accomplished project, with each song seamlessly segueing into the next despite the array of styles and genres across each track.

It may still be a pop record at the heart, but with the masterful touch of Reznor and Ross, Halsey also brings in some industrial rock elements, as well as a bit of pop punk in places too. However, it is not just sonically that Halsey pushes the boundaries but also thematically as well, using the album’s concept to press the issue of feminism and misogyny within the lyrics. Arguably what’s most striking about this record though is how tightly constructed everything is here – under the watchful eye of Reznor and Ross, the dramatic production is inch-perfect.

Most importantly, the songs here are just fantastic, from the religious imagery and glistening synths that lace the wonderful melody of Bells of Santa Fe, to the raw, grungy guitars of You asked for this. There’s also the atmospheric piano ballad 1121, where Halsey really flexes her impressive vocal cords. Pulsating, stylish electro-pop single I am not a woman, I’m a god is another standout. Once you have been amazed by all of this, the gentle plucking and raindrop like xylophone of stunning closer Ya’aburnee arrives to really blow things away.

In a year packed full of outstanding pop records, Halsey has delivered, for my money, one of the best of the lot. With Reznor and Ross holding the reigns, they help Halsey deliver on her epic vision with both style and control. It’s one thing to attempt a record like this, it’s another thing to pull it off as expertly and vibrantly as this – hats off for this one!

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Screen Violence by CHVRCHES

Also delivering their fourth album this week was Scottish synth-pop group CHVRCHES who, whilst predominantly maintaining their vintage sound, have lyrically pushed themselves into darker territory on this new record. Probably their finest work since their debut, frontwoman Lauren Mayberry takes no prisoners as she tackles sexism and misogyny, calling upon her own experiences within the industry to really illustrate the issues being put front and centre.

This is highlighted best on electric single Good Girls, a track Mayberry wrote “after listening to some friends arguing about the present-day implications of loving certain problematic male artists – I was struck by the lengths that people would go to in order to excuse their heroes and how that was so juxtaposed to my own experiences in the world.”

Other highlights include He Said She Said, a glistening synth-driven pop banger that’s contrasted against razor-sharp lyrics with a defiant message at its core – catchy, but also powerful and thought-provoking. There’s also the superb collaboration with The Cure legend Robert Smith, How Not to Drown, which is a moody, atmospheric, and synth-soaked belter of a track. Although it is incredible right the way through, the real spine-tingling moment comes during the song’s outro thanks to the ghostly vocals of Smith being cast over some hauntingly melodic guitars. Outside of the singles, the rawness of heartbreaking closer Better If You Don’t leaves the biggest impression.

All in all, this album ranks amongst their best work and although it may not be quite as dramatic or impressionable as Halsey’s album, there’s still plenty to which you’ll want to digest and ultimately keep returning.

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How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last? By Big Red Machine

The National’s Aaron Dessner and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon have certainly kept themselves busy over lockdown. It seems they weren’t satisfied with just taking Taylor Swift’s music to incredible new heights on 2020’s folklore and evermore, as they have now also released their second album under their Big Red Machine guise. The most noticeable thing about this second record is that the duo have extended their collaboration further this time around, bringing in renowned artists such as Ben Howard, Sharon Van Etten, Lisa Hannigan and Fleet Foxes, as well as two more collaborations with Miss Swift herself.

Given the talent involved, it is no surprise that this makes for a really special and stunning collection of songs. There’s wonderful electro-folk track Mimi, which sees singer-songwriter Ilsey Juber join Justin Vernon on lead vocal duties. Phoenix sees Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes and Anaïs Mitchell join in for a wonderful, horn-backed number. This track in fact isn’t the only time Anaïs Mitchell steals the show, as her beautiful, soothing vocal performances on opener Latter Days and closer New Auburn arguably provide the two best moments of the entire album.

The two tracks with Taylor Swift are also fantastic, with Renegade offering a sweet, pop cut that wouldn’t be out of place on either of Swift’s last two records. The better of the two though is Birch, a piano-driven, string-tinged ballad which sees Swift simply providing back-up vocals to Vernon’s haunting folky croons. It’s stunning and possibly my new favourite collaboration between the three artists.

Ultimately this is just a superb album, with Dessner and Vernon thriving alongside their chosen collaborators for a collection of songs that will frequently both move and astound you.

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Donda by Kanye West

Easily the most talked about album of the week, after several launch events and many, many delays, Kanye West finally released his long-awaited tenth studio album, Donda. Now anyone who knows me knows that I am not a fan of excessive, bloated albums, so with Donda clocking in at almost 2 hours long it was always going to struggle to win me over.

As expected, this is another West project that struggles with inconsistency, with moments of brilliance balanced out with plenty of moments that ultimately underwhelm. Although it has more high points than Ye and the production is more polished than Jesus Is King, there is no track as good as Ghost Town and sonically I found it less inspired than Jesus Is King in many ways. I’m not sure just yet if this is indeed the worst West album, but it is certainly down there in the bottom half for me.

That said, there are still some great moments to be found here. Once you get passed the massively irritating Donda Chant opener (honestly, so painful!), the Jay-Z featuring Jail offers an anthemic rock-influenced gem to get the album started properly. From there The Weeknd featuring Hurricane, the Lauryn Hill sampling Believe What I Say, the heavenly melody of Kid Cudi feature Moon and the organ-backed closer No Child Left Behind provide some of the other highlights. However possibly the finest moment comes in the form of Jesus Lord, a 9-minute epic that sees West deliver some of his best bars in years, returning to the social-consciousness that made him a star in the first place.

If you are a fan of West’s recent gospel-influenced work, then this album will reward you for your patience if you stick with it. For me, although there are some moments I enjoyed, the length was just too much, with this album having the same inconsistency problem that The Life of Pablo had but without reaching the same heights as that album did when it was at its best. Disappointing, but still somewhat worthwhile.

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The Awesome Album by Mouse Rat

And finally on the albums front, if like me you are a big Parks & Recreation fan, you’ll be pleased to hear that Chris Pratt’s fictional band from the show, Mouse Rat, have finally released their debut album this week. Featuring classics such as 5,000 Candle In The Wind and The Pit, this one is a lot of fun for fans of the show.

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Tracks of the Week

Good Ones by Charli XCX

Coming off the back of the definitive lockdown album How I’m Feeling Now that earned her both a Mercury Prize nomination and a place in my Top 5 albums of 2020, Charli XCX has returned with a new synth-driven banger that packs in an insanely catchy hook and wonderful 80s vibes.

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Family Ties by Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar

Also making his return this week was King Kendrick who delivered a fantastic new collaboration with his cousin Baby Keem. Over a brilliant horn-driven beat, the two family members go toe-to-toe and bar-to-bar across this concise hip-hop banger.

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Alone by Rag N Bone Man & Nothing But Thieves

A remix of a track from Rory Graham’s latest album Life By Misadventure, this version sees Conor Mason of Nothing But Thieves join in on vocals, along with some triumphant rock production that replaces the stripped back nature of the album cut.

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Spirit Power & Soul by Johnny Marr

The brilliant first track from his forthcoming new EP, Spirit Power & Soul finds legendary guitarist Johnny Marr in fine form, sonically calling back to his days with Bernard Sumner in Electronic. Built on a masterful central riff, pulsating synths and a big anthemic chorus, it’s a belter!

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Nothing Else Matters by Chris Stapleton

And finally this week, we’ve had plenty of great, unique covers of Nothing Else Matters by Metallica already this year, with Miley Cyrus and Phoebe Bridgers already offering their own take on the classic song. However, I’ve always got time for another and this 8-minute epic from country singer Chris Stapleton is just as dazzling, thanks to some amazing bluesy guitars and his textured vocal performance.

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idhanbin-blog · 5 years

Text

where there’s smoke

archive, character building series -- on first love.

for the unique sensation of yearning for the first time. for realizing you’re not always who you want to be. for the good, the bad and the memories.

when he falls in love, it burns him whole. hanbin doesn’t know how to take it in moderation when it feels good, he wants his cup running over, he wants to go all the way. she teaches him that when she ignites the flicker of fire under his skin that night. one glance, one second too long, and he would have doused himself in gasoline for her.

he’ll sit for hours in a car, temple pressed to the window to feel the engine vibrating against his skull, songs of undying love and bitter separations looping in his earphones as countryside trees blur into cityscapes, and sometimes he thinks of her.

the memories of her are peppermint, red lipstick and hip bones jutting out against smooth skin. cherry cola flavored, tobacco scented. he doesn’t remember everything, but he remembers how she would slip his jacket on when they met after his practice, and how the rough denim of her jeans scratched his skin when their legs would tangle and his shirt would skirt up.

the older he grows, the less significant her presence in his life becomes, the shorter his mild weeks by her side seem amid the long, busy years. but she’s the thin trace of an old scratch that shouldn’t have scarred. she still lingers, still resurfaces.

they start off wrong. hanbin trespasses a number of limits: his curfew, the strained promise not to leave his friend’s house, the bar’s age restriction. with the right influence, which always means the wrong one in this kind of story, he breaks through each of those limits without pause of second thoughts. he has a match in two days and he shouldn’t be drinking - maybe he reaches for another to become stupid enough to forget that.

she’s hard to miss even through the liquor clouding his judgement, and the smoke clouding his sight. he sees her first, and something about the way she glows under dim lights is so otherworldly he doesn’t expect her to notice him. her eyes are sharp and heavy, something sad about them even as they glint purple and pink. he doesn’t hold his breath for her to cross his path.

yet, she does.

his lack of experience is glaring in the way he rests hands on her waist at her command, their youth even more obvious in their awkward touch of lips. neither of them really belongs in the grungy club tucked away in the shades of hot busan nights, but her farce is a perfect one to his impressionable eyes. her fishnets and well worn converse shoes would look desperate to anyone who knows better, but hanbin is still a true innocent. he doesn’t know girls like her.

they never warn boys not to go around seeking bad girls, do they?

they find each other when they can’t go back home. he understands how deafening silence is, she understands how suffocating your own bedroom feels three hours into a fight that seeps through the door. they run into each other again and again when there is nowhere else to go, and they have to stop calling it a coincidence at a certain point.

loitering around convenience stores becomes a habit, learning about one another over empty instant ramen bowls comes as a natural follow up. no one asks what two kids like them are doing out at this hour. they step in and out of the lights on the streets near home without question.

he fixes the strands of hair that always curtain over her eyes, tucking them behind her ear. she flinches -- it’s apparent she feels exposed because it’s the first time he can take all of her face in, no barriers. at the edge of a giggle, she tells him he has the saddest eyes she has ever seen. he smiles, not finding the words for an answer.

she lifts the hem of her shirt enough for him to see the old, pale stripes sitting on skin, reaching the small of her back. “when i was little, mama didn’t like it when i answered back,” she says with a smile when he doesn’t fill the silence, peering at his unblinking face with lips parted around a question that he doesn’t know how to ask. “she never liked me much, i guess. i don’t like her either.” she adds that hasn’t happened again since she grew up, like it’s an explanation.

the anger haunting her veins is familiar enough that he finds it easy to lean closer.

he becomes aware of the differences between them, little by little. they stand on a common ground but it becomes easy to see where his baggage ends and hers begins, bigger, deeper. but he doesn’t understand how the disparities come between them, doesn’t yet see that, while his fury burns white hot, hers is stone cold, petrified.

impenetrable.

there’s sweet with the bitter. this is foreshadowing, but he’d been glad to gloss over all those red flags in rearview.

her fingertip runs up the bridge of his nose, ghosts under his eye to rest at the peak of his cheekbone. he’s all poured out under her gaze, finding that he enjoys the way she bares him with her eyes, clothes and skin and pretenses, all at the floor.

it’s easy to drink in that smile, full of gums and fluttering lashes, that she only has for him. he feels light-headed when she puts her eyes on him, and their usual weariness gives place to something softer, honey-colored. the shivers crawl up his skin almost to the point his chest tightens and his spine quivers.

instinct crawling, foreboding. something ancient in his body has survived through the millennia and knows something he’s yet to learn.

all he knows is the novel excitement of her skin on his, the electricity, the orange pinks behind his eyelids. all he wonders is what he looks like in the frame of her own eyes, what colors she paints him that she’ll never tell him about.

he feels himself become rough, his skin dies after the sting of her sharp edges. she told him once things are only real if they hurt, and it still sounds like bullshit to him.

she’s half drunk on a tuesday, and he isn’t supposed to be here. she watches him light up his third cigarette, lips twitching a the sight of him coughing into a fist. he doesn’t catch her stare, exhaling slow to feel the rawness of his throat ache around thin air.

“who are you trying to impress?”

he catches her eyes for the first time in a while. he’s aware of how heavy his muscles feel, the stiffness in his bones. sedentary, like he hasn’t moved in years. bound to her.

“no one.” he is defensive. anyone would be, young like that, worn to the bone like that. when his coach gets his hands on him, he’ll be sore for weeks. if his father found out he had been sneaking out of practice -- he can’t even imagine a consequence. he always expects the worst, and it goes to show how bad it gets when he can’t picture what that looks like. he doesn’t think about them. “no one.”

“hm.” when she curls her lips with a huff of chuckle, it’s a shell of the smiles she struggled to wipe off her face when he was around. “thought you’d say it was me.”

it didn’t occur to him when eviscerating himself to escape his parents’ expectations that he would wind up trapped under hers

he watches the tip of the cigarette burn red, then yellow, then the flame weakens. the smoke thins out in the outside air as they share a tight spot on the porch, sitting on the wooden steps with their feet over the grass below -- his covered, hers bare. his mother asks him if there’s something he wants to tell her for the second time after a week since the breakup, and eight days since hanbin’s father became aware of his habit of skipping rehearsals. she nods when he shakes his head.

she mentions girls anyway, because she knows him better than he can conceive. she understands he doesn’t have to tell her everything, but she still wants him to open up to her. it becomes apparent she is getting the idea the guilt following him like a black cloud everywhere comes from skipping practice, or casual misbehavior in a relationship.

he’s heard of friends cheating on their girlfriends and he knows how parents feel about premarital sex, he understands what the assumptions are.

“don’t assume i’m talking about you ruining a poor girl’s reputation, or breaking her heart.” the last few words were drawled out in scathing sarcasm, and she took the cigarette off her lips to smile. sometimes his mother would look at him strange, a fog clearing from her eyes as though she was seeing him for the first time. “don’t even assume i’m talking about that stupid training, i wouldn’t care if you never set place into that gym ever again.”

he pulls his knees up and sighs. she explains she expects him to know better than to screw someone over like that. he remains silent this time, lids drooping under her stare, refusing to meet it.

“girls aren’t mysterious, they aren’t pure.” her tone becomes lighter, almost apologetic. she isn’t there to grill him, she doesn’t want to add to the pile his father is stacking day after day since everything came tumbling down. it’s just concern, it’s just her role as a mother. he would like to say he understands. “girls are just girls. they love and hate as much as you do.”

hanbin eyes her, at last.

“they aren’t any more dangerous than you are.” her lips are curling up, but her eyebrows curve with hesitation. he realizes now that the moonlight turns her face a pale blue how sad her eyes look. “but you are dangerous, hanbin.”

when his mother’s hand brushes down his hair, fingers smoothing over the strands and scalp, pausing at his nape with a squeeze only to then lift away, leaving behind the shape of their warmth, he thinks about how foreign her description of a mother’s touch had sounded to his ears.

“you’re my child, baby. i want you to take care of yourself.”

her memory is heavy, bitter, synonymous with regret. he doesn’t remember anything but the what ifs and the maybes. a part of him had always known it was on him to pull her out of her slump, a part of him had always understood his cowardice. over the years, it’s hard not to think over the many things he should have said and done, the many things that should have remained unspoken. no one could reach her like he could then, and all he did was claw away, heart left at the door like it was an inconvenience.

the older he grows, the deeper the dent she etched digs into him. lingering, resurfacing.

#in. reference #wc. 1846 #tw.unhealthy relationships #tw.physical abuse

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makku-ruko · 5 years

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N O M E D

Another series. These characters exist in the same world as the Fluffybuns so they’ve already interacted.

deep in a purgatory lost within the spirit realm are the forbidden offspring of light and dark. Some tend to stray further to the dark and vice versa but they can never truly deny their mix of both good and bad.

Nomeds have black wings and white fork tails. Depending on the placing of their moral compass, their characteristics will shrink and become less noticeable but none can really disappear.

Characters:

Chaxy- hyper active Nomed that doesn’t particularly take the world seriously even they she really should.

Ita - her younger sibling who has a bad habit of chewing on pills. A weird girl. She has a weak body so medication was prescribed to her, however as a result of dependancy, she chews on his tablets when she is anxious.

Yolski- he leads a resistance against the angelic heritage. He also holds grudges. Quite fiery. Keeps to himself. The reasoning for his revolt has to do with what he feels is hypocrisy. “If angels are the very culmination of all that is good, then we, as part demon have no right to call ourselves part angel. Bad taints good. If you’re going to be evil—don’t half-ass it.” Next to this His doesn’t trust easily and tends not to engage with those whom he deems unworthy or uninteresting.

This stemmed from a childhood trauma. He asked his mother to come to the Nomed realm very early on as a young child just so she could walk him through a ‘scary pathway’. Unfortunately, he had no knowledge of Demon-siders residing in that area and they, savage as they are, couldn’t stand to sense the holy light from which shone within his mother. They attacked her, mutilating her body until it was nothing but a pile of meat and bone.

To make things worse, they paused when approaching him, sniffed him and spared him as he was “one of them”. He’s blamed himself ever since. It didn’t help when rumours speculated that he lured his mother over there on purpose out of malice. He never recovered and started to believe the rumours. Now Yolski can never associate the word ‘good’ and himself ever again. If anyone thinks that’s a compliment, they are gravely mistaken.

Chilgrim- One of the higher ups and one of the Plumage guardians. A group of Chosen Nomeds that are exquisitely neutral to both sides who are in charge of communicating with the Angels and Demons (The parents only). Chilgrim is Yolski’s friend from childhood. He’s known as a mature brother figure and completely unbiased. He doesn’t like conflict and likes to compromise.

Delta - Known as fashionista. He simply takes what he wants and doesn’t apologise. People say he could definitely rule the world if he wanted. Despite his cool persona, Delta enjoys playing games (with people) but is easily struck by boredom and is relatively hard to please. He is very neutral on the Angel/Demon Spectrum and was an intentional lone wolf back in school but still passes by to check on Yolski from time to time. And generally that’s what he does. His active behaviour is described as simple passing—Elusive. As he doesn’t stay in one place for too long either.

Unlike the others from his highschool, he has a very successful career as an interior designer and models on the down-low. That said, no one knows his identity as a model. They can never tell it’s him because he makes a conscious effort to change his appearance completely. For some reason, he just doesn’t want anybody to know and it has nothing to do with insecurity. He just doesn’t feel like it.

He’s stepped on a lot of people in his lifetime because of this self-serving attitude.

https://soundcloud.com/user-541650709/5ksea0oxswds

https://soundcloud.com/d41n/melting

https://soundcloud.com/moeshop/notice

Flynt: A famous Actor/Singer in the NOMEDS universe. He is almost like Delta’s coworker as he models too and the photographers normally prefer him as Delta’s duo photoshoot partner. He’s quite full of himself and pretty self confident. Not so much arrogant but he likes to portray himself as someone who is devoid of weakness. Therefore, if a weakness shows up, he’ll be thrown off completely and will in turn work hard to conquer said weakness.

Case in point, Delta is his newest struggle — they haven’t been modelling together for long. He doesn’t quite understand how Delta can be so neutral in every sense of the word and marvels over his natural mystical ‘beauty’— much like a grey mythical being that comes and goes. As Flynt is beyond down-to-earth, this baffles him immensely considering they are both of the same species. As a result, he gets flustered over the simplest of things that Delta says or does in response to his confusion. That said, his growing attraction towards Delta is his biggest struggle as he’s a playboy— fills his life with women. And yet Delta is right in the middle of both Male and female in terms of appearance, mannerisms and such. He just doesn’t get it so his second brain is confused.

Signal: A younger Nomed— an orphan. His parents were killed in the long standing war between Angels and demons. In that same war, his left wing was damaged beyond repair so he usually keeps it closed and tucked away. As a birth defect, his wings were always abnormally small inhibiting any sort of flight– only gliding at the least. As an Orphan, he had to make ends meet wondering the streets as a homeless child until an assassination organisation took him in. An organisation planted in the mortal realm. Had he wondered the NOMED streets, life would have been a lot harder as demon-siders tend to be unreasonably cruel— worse than humans.

As a cause of this, his appearance is always quite scruffy in accompaniment to his grungy fashion sense. Having chronic nightmares and insomnia doesn’t help. He himself doesn’t necessarily trust people much either and found it hard to cooperate with his mortal boss at first but eventually they bonded. A strained bond but it’s still something. He was given home-schooling until the age of 16 before then beginning his sniper training. He’s now 20.

Personality wise, he’s aloof and makes his job his life. Outside of work, he’s normally restless and uncertain of what to do. He either goes on walks or just tries to fall asleep. But, he does have a longtime friend— Delta’s little brother, Helix. They get along immaculately. He is the only person thus far that can make Signal smile.

Signal wears the gas mask because it stabilises him. He has a tendency to bite as a cause of his demon genes acting up frequently. Sometimes, it’ll get so bad that his demonic genes will kick in completely trying to murder him as a cause of his angelic heritage. These come in the form of possession-like seizures where he won’t be able to breathe. With that, he normally has a panic button that’s kept in his pocket which he uses to alert his boss. ))

https://soundcloud.com/norcalnxc/d0wn-babe-island

https://soundcloud.com/kaelinellis/janet-jackson-go-deep-kaelin

https://soundcloud.com/rodrigo-tenorio-10/gorillaz-dare-1

https://soundcloud.com/heyitsaura/panic-room

https://soundcloud.com/mikuohhatsune/hatsune-mikuo-love-is-war

Niko- Milanese. A yes man. Pure white in every way....or maybe a little too much. He’s very impressionable and holds the innocence of a child. Others refer to him as the ‘Dummy Angel’. His mother isn’t much of a Demon and his father is the softest angel. He was born from white and so is as white as an Angel can be. His horns are as tiny as studs in his head and his tail is translucent.

He was recently adopted by Eres as his little brother. Somewhere along the line, Eres found him wandering the streets at midnight in the rain. Wracked with concern, he took Niko in, dried him and fed him seeing as his little body looked like pneumonia would be his final enemy. As a result, Niko has grown attached to Eres and often spends his time in the Fluffybuns household.

Yilac: Milanese. A new model. He’s started working with Delta quite recently. He was convinced to become a model because of his drunkard mother who needs money for more alcohol and bills. Apparently his father keeps trying to help them but his Mother won’t allow it because she’s stubborn and feels like she’ll drag him down. Next to modelling, he was convinced by the agency to enter their underground strip club for extra cash.

Personality wise, Yilac isn’t very confident and quite sensitive. He’s the classic case of ‘doesn’t know his worth’ so he will lower his standards to meet requirements. Much like a good servant but with the drive of helping his Mother financially. He is a little timid but shoves that aside to do what he needs to do, even if it’s degrading. A very determined young Nomed. What he doesn’t know is that...he quite likes all the attention.

Truth be told, his father is royalty. Yilac’s existence was a scandal as a high-end angel such as his father wasn’t supposed to involve himself with demons, and a drug addict no less. His mother is bipolar so during her depressive episodes, she feels like Hulson’s biggest mistake. After Yilac was born, she grabbed him and disappeared off the radar. Yilac is the forbidden Prince and heir to the throne but has to be kept on the down-low.

That said, he does sneak away occasionally to do his duty as a Prince. Has his own royal garbs, training to one day come out into the open and present himself as king. But as of now, his underground work continues. No one knows he is Royalty.

Keya: Training to be a guardian angel despite being a Nomed. He’s very much angelic more than demonic. 20 years of age and as well as looking younger than his age, he’s often mistaken to be female. This comes with a lot of harassment on his part, but he’s not going to stop trying his best to become the most admirable guardian Angel of his generation!

Personality wise, he has a strong moral compass but urges that combat it. He’s the typical pleasant young man. Helpful. Encouraging. Compassionate. Caring. Etc. Said traits make him an easy target to be taken advantage of. Next to all of this, he is easily embarrassed and quite shy.

His father....is a playboy type. But his Mother is a benevolent saint type. His father used his incubi skills to woo her and eventually became attached to her sweet appearance and attitude. They’re a very lovey-dovey pair. Keya can’t stay home for too long because of it.

Whilst training in guarding, he ran into Signal. They become silent friends and silent foes as one protects and the other attacks. Signal appreciates his drive and moral compass, Keya appreciates his focus and reliability.

https://soundcloud.com/user-84427122/succducc-me-and-u

https://soundcloud.com/syntaxerrorofficial/recover-decoration

Sofuran: Just as Niko is all white, Sofuran is all dark. He resembles an angel that’s been burnt to a crisp— mutated into a demon. His mentality is unknown. No one understands him. He’s so unbelievably unstable that he has to be kept locked up. His moral compass leans more on the sinful side of things. He causes mischief, damage and heartache mainly because he believes ‘that’s life’.

“That was your unborn child??? Oh. But. They’d end up dying anyway miss ^^ I did you a favour~!”

“Aaaah~ how beautiful 💕 a newlywed couple bound together by thousands of needles just as they’d tied the knot. Now they’ll be together FOREVER! Ahahahahahah~”

Despite having quite childish mannerisms, he is not. In fact, his mental age and physical age are unknown. Apparently, his parents have disowned him completely. They’re terrified and want nothing to do with him as they don’t want to believe he was a product of them.

He’s selfish, manipulative and heartless. Doing things for his benefit without thinking of the consequences. The only thing that gets communicated clearly is has desire to be ‘bad’. To sin. To cause chaos. He wants it all, and so, if he is accused and made to suffer consequences, he happily accepts it. Sofuran is just as destructive with himself as he is with everything else. ‘The burnt Dove’.

————

Eres: Why do you call yourself a demon when your wings are so angelically beautiful?

Yolski: I don’t take that as a compliment. Angelic heritage is nothing more than an excuse to overlook our flaws. A guise to hide behind. I’m **not** one of those people.

Eres: How contradictory. Isn’t your demonic heritage a guise just so you don’t have to try to repent for the things you’ve done, so you just blame it on that?

Yolski: //glare// I don’t have to explain myself to you. I’m trying not to run away from who I am. Facing the truth as it were.

Eres: isn’t it a little arrogant to assume that you can’t be incriminated by what you stand by anyway? No matter the reasoning behind why you think that, it’s half and half. Choosing a side is just pointless. Whatever point you argue can always be used against you....if you can’t see that then....you aren’t that smart honey. Sorry~

Yolski: As I said, **I don’t have to explain myself to you.** You aren’t even one of us, you have no right to talk.

Eres: Trying to silence logic huh? How childishly adorable~~

Yolski:.....*go to hell*

Eres: If that’s where I’ll find you then sure~ 💕

Yolski: //storms off.//

————

There, a booming voice spoke, augmented by a megaphone — laced in confidence. “We won’t make *excuses* for how we were born, hiding behind a pure façade! We are demonic! We have flaws! Fuck the wings— they’re black just like our souls. Half and half is only guise. Nothing can truly be balanced, Let’s face it. We need to show these wannabe angels where they truly come from— hell. Give them hell. Send them to hell! They don’t deserve mercy— we aren’t inherently merciful! Why should we conform to morals if our nature is sinful? It’s fighting a losing battle is it not? We have to stand up against this and show them that **they can’t control us**.”

A cheer of agreement. The voice continued. increased anger. “**They have no right to try if they can’t even accept their own origins!**” Again an uproar. A successful protest— perhaps they were preparing for war?.....probably not.

————

“We will take control of **them** and show them what it really means... to be a **demon**.” As the Nomed finished his final sentence, the crowd’s cheers had transformed into a ruckus.

The melody of a blooming riot echoed from every corner of the alleyway, enough to wake the dead....and those already asleep. It WAS late after all. Smirking across the crowd, their leader, Yolski pumped his fist in the air accompanied by a large flap of the wings. Another uproar— it was time to terrorise.

————

He didn’t even leave a beat. “—Oh? So you want me to be your science project so you can be my punching bag? ....Ideally it sounds like bullshit which is what I’m used to. But. Since you’re adamant and I don’t particularly have anything to give you, I guess there’s no reason for you to lie to me...I suppose.”

Plumage of a raven would flap in that moment in order to regain his posture. Arms folded, true eye contact was finally made...just about. He’d taken note of the silent female behind but didn’t say anything — she wasn’t any of his concern.

“Fine. I’ll accept your aid.” By now, his units had made headway with causing destruction. In that short space of time, property damage was amplified. Occasional screams did nigh cease. He knew what would come of all of this.

“Shit.” As Yolski cursed underneath his breath, a celestial chime sounded behind him and through that chime, a quite official looking Nomed revealed themselves from a blinding light.

“At it again I see?”

He turned to regard the other. They both radiated their own taste of power.

“What can I say? You keep trying to silence me.”

“How bold of you to think that your voice means so much.”

“I’m leading a swarm of mindless drones, right? Of course that’s what you think. I speak out because they are too afraid to. Honestly, as demons, you’d think I wouldn’t have to be pulling so many strings here.”

“Maybe they just aren’t cut out for that, Yolski. Have you ever thought that perhaps they find it difficult to act because they’re more angel than demon. They only lead through example and from what you’re feeding them, mindless violence is the way. Hence why they always cause so much chaos during your *riots*.” The voice had softened. No animosity. It seemed they really were just looking out for the younger Nomed.

“....So you say but I’ve given them every opportunity to back out now if they aren’t up for it. Those other Demons out there *want this* as much as I do.”

There was a short pause before the other would sigh. “Yolski....you’re not as bad as you think.....you need to believe that.”

“I’ll surely make you regret that statement, Chilgrim. Leave.”

“.....Right. Well. Our units will clean the mess once you’re done....” With one more sigh, Chilgrim left the same way he entered.

“Hmph. Hypocrite.”

———

Signal: Keya. The rain is fading your clothes.

Keya: EEEEEH?! //Wings cover him as he blushes//

Signal:...your wings are so tiny. Useless. //Takes off his coat to cover him.//

Keya: q^q....thank you...

Signal: mm.))

—————

Juniel: Known as ‘Screamer’ he works hard as part of a choir. Asthma and anxiety make life harder for him ensuring that the majority of his group look at him as ‘jittery’ and ‘problematic’. He’s quite socially awkward and so finds normal conversations panic-inducing. With that, he uses shitposting, drama and wit to get through it. Despite his love for singing, he often finds himself breaking down into coughing fits due to his asthma. His only friend is Gemini. However, he expresses great bitterness towards the Jocks of the group: Jio and Jan. baritone and bass.

He has bad history with clams and met Spiniel whilst waiting to perform at a nearby-reef.

He loves to practice his range using ‘Pray- satsuriku no Tenshi’

Gemini: Prom Queen-esque. She has a benevolent side and prefers to avoid getting involved in conflict. Quite witty, she fits in with Juniel’s emergency joking mode and so they have an odd yet stable friendship. She knows the group bad talks him on the group chat and often informs him on it with no ill intentions. She somewhat agrees with their view of him but as she understands his point of view, she understands why it’s hard for him to fit in.

Her love for music surpasses all. With that, she seems to think linearly but is generally quite open minded.

————

Gemini: Juni 😊 if you don’t 😊 get your act together 😊 I’m going to peg😊 the fuck out of you 😊😊😊😊

Juniel: ∑(ﾟДﾟ) !!!!!

————

Tsumetai kioku to karappo no sekai,

Tarinai katachi wo nuiawasetara,

Machigatteta koto kiratteta koto,

Mada tatakatterun da yo owari wa doko darou? A cold recollection and an empty world

If I sew up forms that are wanting

What I get wrong, what I dislike

I'm still fighting, where does it end, though?

Kowai kurai, aoi tsuki ga rin to naku koro.

Usotsuki wa kibou to deau, When the frightened blue moon stops ringing

A liar will run into hope

Hanasanaide,

Watashi wo ubatte yo,

Kienai tsumi ni,

Kienai batsu wo,

Yakusoku dakara,

Wasurenaide mada,

Iki wo shiteru kara,

Chanto itsuka owarasete ne,

Yakusoku dakara,

Ue ni ue ni ochiru yume wo,

Inotte ii desu k

Zes balfoursth: Trouble. Trouble. Demon-sider for sure. He gets his kicks out of causing mischief in more ways than one. His speech resembles flirtation but holds no genuine interest in the other individual. If there is interest however, he’ll be selective with them and much much kinder.

Chilgrim is his assigned mentor— another shot at rehabilitation. He’s his newest big project and taming Zes will by far be his greatest feat next to Sofuran. Sofuran is Zes’ best friend and usual partner in crime. Sometimes, they will act alone but meet up later to recount their ‘experiences’.

Zes isn’t pure— he sleeps around but chooses to only be pampered without pampering. He doesn’t necessarily call such to himself but because of his manner of speaking, others often misunderstand. He doesn’t care much for emotions or attachments...well not anymore.

Back some years ago, he was locked up temporarily for terrorism and met his first love– the same person whom he can’t release up to now. Tei was a member of the ruffians that inhabited dark alleys—an underling of Yolski almost. He was locked up for arson. The two got to talking and after a quick string of events, Zes fell deeply for him as a cause of naivety. It just so turns out however that Tei was a player who was a pro at ‘playing a lover’. Passion. Romance. Care. Affection. All given to all of his pawns. Zes walked away from said scene without a word but regrets his lack of hostility still to this day hence why he detaches from everybody.

https://soundcloud.com/mr-dub-1-0/teddyloid-i-want-you

#drawing archive #my ocs #my ocs stuff #Nomed

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shoutsfromthedesert · 3 years

Photo

“Painting 51, Times Square, Manhattan" oil on wood, h12"xw12" 2021 Finally, after all these years, I actually painted en plein air in Times Square! My partner today was @jessicapriorart, who worked there until COVID. She had never painted there either and we both know why: it’s insane! Also she was on the outside and got the most interruptions. She said, “David, I hope it’s OK if I hate you a little bit right now!” She also told me about her bomb threats, encounters with the Naked Cowboy and the sad tale of Grungy Elmo. But the task at hand always takes over and we each did two paintings! This one is my first painting, facing downtown from 46th St. at Broadway. #nystreets #nycstreets #nycpainter #newyorkpainter #newyorkart #newyorkartist #artcollector #pleinairnyc #pleinairartist #pleinairpainter #pleinairpainting #pleinair #outdoorpainting #landscapepainting #oilpainting #impressionism #paintingfromlife #cityscapes (at Times Square, New York City) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSuoGgrF-cC/?utm_medium=tumblr

#nystreets #nycstreets #nycpainter #newyorkpainter #newyorkart #newyorkartist #artcollector #pleinairnyc #pleinairartist #pleinairpainter #pleinairpainting #pleinair #outdoorpainting #landscapepainting #oilpainting #impressionism #paintingfromlife #cityscapes

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volumes2lo-gan · 7 years

Note

11 and 15 for prinxiety

Prompt 11: Soulmate AU15: “If you think I don’t feel anything for you, then you’re more stupid than I thought.”

Strings of Fate

Fandom: Sanders SidesPairing: PrinxietyWarnings: Negative self-talk

Summary: Roman finds his soulmate, but is he fated in love?A/N: They’re freshman and it’s a different timeline than my previous college aus. (Basically unless stated otherwise, none of the college aus are connected.)

Tagged: @existental-crises @jordisama @here-to-vent @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch

Red strings were the only thing on Roman’s mind lately. He could feel the string connecting him to some unknown person growing shorter every day. They were fated to meet soon, it was only a matter of time. He’d seen it happen all around him since starting college; people were embracing left and right it seemed, all happy to have finally found their soulmate. Roman had always been a sucker for these strings of fate and had even researched them a little for a role he’d played in high school. However, one thing had always bothered him in the back of his mind. What if his soulmate didn’t love him? He knew it was kind of silly to think, but he was worried nonetheless.

Soulmates were bound by the Strings of Fate and Fate didn’t always work in people’s favor. He’d heard stories of people whose soulmates were already in committed relationships with other people who didn’t share their strings or that when two soulmates finally met, their match was star-crossed or only tied to a specific moment. Roman wasn’t sure of how true any of these stories actually were, if at all, but that didn’t stop the nagging sensation in the back of his mind from growing more persistent with every passing day.

He’d finally found him. Roman had seen his soulmate on a street corner and was nearly hit by a car while bounding to greet him. The other student had looked rather shocked, whether by the near-death experience he’d just witnessed or by the sudden shortening of his string, he couldn’t say.

“Hi,” Roman panted, bracing his hands on his knees as he gasped for breath. “I’m… Roman.” He straightened back up, trying to compose himself as he stuck out his hand.

“O…kay?” the grungy teen said, eyeing Roman’s hand warily. “Are you always that insane?”

Roman blushed in embarrassment. “No, I just… I saw your string and I thought… I just really wanted to introduce myself. What’s your name?”

“Virgil,” he said, finally accepting Roman’s handshake. “And I guess I can see your string too.” He eyed the shortened string that was now only a few inches long and winding around their hands.

“Would you like to go on a date?” Roman said suddenly, startling Virgil from his inspection of the string.

“I don’t even know you,” he snapped, taking his hand back. “But I guess we could get some coffee or something?” he amended after seeing Roman’s crestfallen expression. Great. We’ve got a fantasist, Virgil thought.

“Coffee would be wonderful!”

A month had passed and they’d hung out more since then, occasionally getting a cup of coffee or meeting up in each other’s rooms to watch a movie. They were currently sitting on the floor of Virgil’s room watching Monsters Inc. They’d started talking about how every monster has their own kid to scare and that train of thought had led to their current conversation.

“Soulmates are obviously a thing, I’m not denying that,” Virgil said, taking another fistful of popcorn, “I’m just saying that they don’t have to be like how the media portrays them. They amp everything up and try to make it all chocolates and confetti.” He shoved the snack food into his mouth and started munching thoughtfully as Roman began his rebuttal. They’d unsurprisingly fallen into this loose debate-format roughly two points into the conversation.

“But it’s supposed to be an occasion to find your soulmate,” Roman complained. “You’re supposed to do grand gestures and make sure they know that they’re the only one for you.”

Virgil rolled his eyes. “See? That’s the type of trap they try to get young, impressionable teens such as yourself to fall into.”

“Hey, we’re the same age!” He exclaimed incredulously.

“Maybe, but at least I don’t have my head in the clouds.” Roman’s heart clenched. It was true, he did have very lofty ideals for what constituted a soulmate. And while Virgil lived up to all of his expectations, he wasn’t sure that he was what Virgil wanted. It was entirely possible that he’d just been led along because Virgil was too lazy to tell him off. He was probably just waiting for Roman to get onto his last nerve before kicking him to the curb. Come to think of it, Roman had proclaimed his fondness for the other countless times since their meeting and it had only ever been met by dismissive hand waves or noncommittal grunts. Roman sat up, causing Virgil to resituate the popcorn bowl before looking up at him expectantly.

“Well… I can’t blame you for not feeling the same way. I– I shouldn’t have assumed–”

“Roman,” Virgil interjected, sitting back on his heels, “if you think I don’t feel anything for you, then you’re more stupid than I thought.” Roman rubbed at the tears that were starting to prickle at the corners of his eyes.

“W-what? But I thought…”

“Listen, just because I’m not into all those grand romantic gesture things doesn’t mean that I don’t still… like you.” He’d finally said it. He’d finally said for the first time since they’d met that he liked him. “I wasn’t sure at first, that’s why I suggested coffee. I didn’t want to go headfirst into this thing only to realize I’d messed up. But it turns out I messed up anyways.” He said, turning the movie off. Roman looked at him, tears shining in his eyes.

“You didn’t mess up anything, Virgil! I’ve loved spending this time with you and if it took some time to get to know me first to decide how you felt, then that’s okay too. I only want what’s best for you and I never want you to feel uncomfortable.”

Virgil chuckled and tossed a piece of popcorn at Roman’s chest. “Yeah, well the same goes for me, I guess.” They sat in silence for a moment, thoughts thundering in their heads until Virgil leaned over and turned on the movie again. “We were at a good part, I didn’t want to miss it,” he defended.

Roman settled back down, lying comfortably next to Virgil in the softly lit room.

“I wouldn’t want to miss it either.”

#logan writes #prinxiety #virgil sanders #roman sanders #Human Sides #sanders sides #college au #soulmate au #prompts #prompt fic #fics #my fic #I keep forgetting to just make these drabbles #whoops #fluff

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writer59january13 · 3 years

Text

Experiencing emerging adulthood stage while inching toward being an old geezer

Me, an aging baby boomer

long haired pencil necked geek

burning, depleting, using... fossil fuels,

thus a global nonrenewable resource(s)

repentant consumer

admitting heavily trod carbon footprint

additionally deeply enmired

within very late adolescence,

hence I shriek

with utter dismay

starkly aware personal hygiene

suffers direct hit

grungy kamikaze pilot

courtesy this groomer

cause I shower once

every fifty second week.

All joking aside,

I recognized (after therapy session

on November twenty third

with Ms. Renee Cardone),

how deeply entrenched,

albeit psychologically,

and emotionally yours truly mired

as grossly immature,

especially where role

of fatherhood concerned.

Hormonal secretion superseded rationality

when call of the wild

pronounced irrepressible urge

to unleash pent up

testosterone laden gunnysack

bursting courtesy the dutiful sentry

courtesy yours truly

experienced heat of the moment

able, eager, ready,

and willingly poised to strike

think totally tubular

warm prickly fleshy appurtenance.

Reflection upon helping beget

"star student" and shayna punim

two darling young

twenty something daughters,

though living social on their own

the former a resident of Oakland, California

the latter calls Bend, Oregon

home sweet home,

whose lives still impacted

when both girls

wantonly, relentlessly, yet mercilessly

buffeted courtesy deplorable

home environment within which,

neither parent gainfully employed

(both hobbled by mental health issues)

additionally progeny unfairly

spent impressionable years

under roof in squalor and filth

at 1148 Greentree Lane,

inviting Montgomery County

children and youth services,

which household (severely cramped quarters)

adrip with clutter

(generations worth of Zison precious heirlooms

substantial number of antiques)

majority relegated to the dumpster.

Thine eldest offspring

long since being master of her domain

continues to cite decade plus years

(perhaps even a dirty dozen)

as source of present psychological woe

at present still in throes of double whammy

woeful loss of paternal grandfather - Zayda

who passed away October seventh

at age ninety one

in quick succession,

she sadly bid adieu beau,

he absconded back to Puerto Rico

(his home/mother country)

without rhyme nor reason.

Impossible mission to decipher kismet

particularly what appeared as promising

relationship betwixt our lovely lass

and boyfriend, whereby

she found herself high and dry,

yet saddled with deux

capricious, garrulous, mischievous, oblivious, rambunctious, vivacious...

tortoise shell mottled kittens.

#meshugas #larded with hyperbole

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sknews7 · 4 years

Text

How Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater changed gaming … and skating | Games

Skateboarding has at all times ebbed and flowed in reputation, based on professional skate boarders Rodney Mullen and Chad Muska. “We’ve watched this rollercoaster experience and, every decade, there’s often an enormous peak after which a dip,” says Muska. “However we’ve not felt the dip for fairly a very long time now.” Since a crash within the early 90s, skateboarding has been having fun with a sluggish experience to the highest. The dudes of the unique skateboarding increase, now of their 40s, are actually vastly outnumbered in skate parks by youngsters.

Within the late 90s and early 00s, rap and hip-hop became integrated with skate culture; skate movies ditched the grungy VHS aesthetic and fish-eye lenses for sooner cuts and smoother photographs. Quick-forward to 2020 and the children that grew up with this tradition are actually paying homage. Jonah Hill’s directorial debut, Mid90s, is a coming-of-age movie about 90s skateboarding, whereas Virgil Abloh, the artistic director of Louis Vuitton, is now signing pro skateboarders to design footwear for his style home.

Folks thought the sport would carry nerds into skating tradition. Nevertheless it impressed among the greatest skaters in historical past

The arrival of the X Video games in 1995 created thrilling alternatives for skaters and attracted plenty of new sponsorship. However credit score should additionally go – maybe unexpectedly – to the Tony Hawk’s Professional Skater video video games, which debuted on the PlayStation in 1999 and acted as a digital ramp for brand spanking new skaters. Producing over $1.4bn in gross sales, they helped to usher an underground tradition into the mainstream to the extent that it’s now an Olympic sport. The video games launched a generation of impressionable children to skateboarding and immersed them in skate tradition too: garments manufacturers and trick names grew to become a part of gamers’ vocabulary, whereas the soundtracks have been full of every little thing from punk-rock and steel to rap and hip-hop.

Paying homage … Mid90s. {Photograph}: Tobin Yelland/Altitude Movies

“The video games launched skateboarding to the world, instantly into so many households,” Muska says. “Its cultural influence on skateboarding was so important. I can not even start to quantify it.”

Mullen, considered some of the influential skaters in historical past, was a playable character in Tony Hawk’s Professional Skater 2. He has first-hand expertise of simply how life-changing these video games have been: he was prepared to surrender on skateboarding earlier than Hawk requested him to seem within the recreation.

“I known as him up and was like, ‘Hey man, I’m pondering of giving up. I don’t know if this can be a signal, I’ve busted my ankle,’” Mullen says. Hawk’s reply took him unexpectedly. “‘You harm your ankle? Massive deal. That doesn’t imply something. Oh, and by the way in which, do you wanna be in my recreation?’” When Mullen went on tour the subsequent summer time, a month after the sport got here out, there have been extra folks watching him than ever. “It was insane,” he says.

He recollects being approached by two large guys throughout a late-night skating session in a tough Los Angeles neighbourhood. “That they had this look that mentioned: that is going to be dangerous,” Mullen says. “After which swiftly, one in all them simply goes, wait, aren’t you the man in that recreation? He went to the physique language of a bit of child, asking me if I may do that trick or that trick. It was a loopy factor.”

“My level is,” Mullen continues, “is that when the sport got here out, not solely did it blow up the prevailing group and our place in it, it additionally introduced an consciousness and a respect for skating to outsiders; particularly with the language. That’s what linked with me. They taught folks our language …”

Lizzie Armanto

I bear in mind when the sport was introduced and folks have been like, ‘Oh, it’s going to usher in all these nerds that simply sit on couches taking part in video games.’ It seems that among the greatest skate boarders in historical past really began due to the sport!”

Muska believes the Tony Hawk video games have been chargeable for serving to to smash the stereotype of skate boarders on the time. “Initially, when anyone considered skateboarding, they thought white folks, punk-rock and California,” Muska says. “These cultural obstacles have been being damaged down.”

Lizzie Armanto, a 27-year-old professional skater, is a brand new addition to the digital roster within the remastered Tony Hawk’s video games, launched this month. An X-Video games gold medalist at simply 20, Armanto has featured on the entrance cowl of Thrasher and TransWorld Skateboarding journal, and was the primary lady to finish Tony Hawk’s infamous 360 loop. Armanto makes her voice heard in terms of calling out prejudices within the skate scene. An emotional video known as Above the Noise particulars the sexism that Armanto has to take care of every day, as she reads out social media feedback alongside feminine skaters Jenn Sotohe and Samarria Brevard.

“There’s a microscope on ladies and their look, and persons are not as cautious with their phrases,” Armanto says. “I believe I’m actually fortunate and tremendous grateful to have skateboarding as a background, as a result of it helps you create a troublesome pores and skin, each bodily and mentally.”

Whereas there’s nonetheless work to be executed to drive inclusivity in skateboarding, Armanto is assured that the scene is making constructive progress. “I undoubtedly suppose there’s a change,” says Armanto. “Even after I first began, some relations would say, ‘You’re too fairly to be skateboarding,’ or my grandma would say, ‘You’re too fragile.’” Armanto believes that the rising hype is encouraging extra folks than ever to choose up a skateboard, no matter their background.

Change is mirrored within the language: on the time the Professional Skater video games have been initially launched, a trick known as the mute air was so named as a result of its creator, a deaf beginner skateboarder named Chris Weddle, was referred to as the “quiet, mute guy” to different skaters. It is going to be referred to as the Weddle seize within the new recreation.

“It’s tremendous vital that [skateboarding] is various and contains folks from in every single place as a result of that’s what skateboarding is wish to its core,” Armanto says . “It’s at all times been about what you do and never who you might be.”

“Skateboarding is like music,” Muska says. “You would be a pool skater or a avenue skater. A vert skater or a park skater. You would be an emo skater who’s into the Treatment or a SoundCloud rapper child who listens to underground rap. That’s what actually makes an expert skateboarder – when children look as much as that individual as a task mannequin and emulate their model and need to gown like them, skate like them and hearken to the identical music as them.”

Flipping the components … Tony Hawk’s Professional Skater. {Photograph}: Activision

Whereas its introduction to the Olympics has introduced skateboarding into the sporting realm, for skaters it’s at all times been an artwork kind the place innovation is seen in model and actions, be it freestyle skate boarders resembling Isamu Yamamoto or the death-defying drops of Aaron Homoki.

“I stand fairly strongly by [the idea] that skateboarding shouldn’t be a sport,” Mullen says. “We’re a whole tradition with a selected language and a means of doing issues and expressing who we’re, not some [competition] that exhibits up yearly … Avenue League, the Olympics, extra energy to them, however that’s not the entire image.”

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louder-than-love · 6 years

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Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins ♡

Nirvana:

Do you believe in God?

I believe in doofy 🙏 (but for real, I’m an agnostic)

Are you a flannel or sweater person?

flannel all the way

Where’s your happy place?

In my room :)

Do you like your family?

yeah, for the most part

What stereotype were/are you closest to in high school?

many people told me that I looked “grungy” and I was the unmotivated kid never paying attention and doodling stupid shit or talking to the others all the time, whoops

Smashing Pumpkins:

Do you feel like you unload or bottle up your emotions?

it depends on the emotion because I tend to do both

Are you the oldest, middle, youngest or only child, and does your personality match that?

I’m the oldest child and sometimes my personality matches the stereotype of the bitchy but overprotective big sister lmao 😂

Do you consider yourself ambitious?

not at all

aesthetically, what era of history most intrigues you?

I don’t really know what to say so I’ll just say that I consider the art of Ancient Greece/Rome, romanticism and impressionism as very beautiful😂

Do you like sunsets or sunrises, night or day?

sunsets and sunrises are both equally beautiful, and while the night is probably more aesthetically, I like the day more :)

thank you for the ask 💕

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adriansmithcarslove · 6 years

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2018 Woodward Dream Cruise: Cruising with Fiat-Chrysler/SRT’s Mark Trostle

Last year we spent the first three days of Woodward Dream Cruise week riding along with designers from the Detroit Three. This year we decided to round up reps from each company’s performance group. First up: Mark Trostle, who has been overseeing the SRT performance group’s design since March of 2011. These days he also has responsibility for Dodge, and all passenger and utility-vehicle exterior design, as well, but it’s still the high-performance stuff that excites him. A car guy through and through, the racing bug bit him when he started autocrossing a Dodge Omni GLH Turbo. He crewed for a friend who was IT racing a CRX and eventually bought a showroom stock Dodge Neon race car (which he drove home to Michigan from Florida in the summer). Sadly we spotted no GLHs, Neons, nor the first car he purchased as a Chrysler employee: a 1992 Eagle Talon TSI Turbo with AWD. These days Mark’s daily driver is a Hellcat, but because he opted for the rear-seat-delete package, we’re rolling in a press-office Hellcat Widebody that seats four.

2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon

Maybe we’re overly sensitized to them tonight, but the Avenue seems to be absolutely jammed with modern high-horsepower Challengers including a Hellcat convertible (“I hope that got a lot of reinforcement!”) and about a half-dozen Demons. Several observers curbside and in nearby cars remark about not having seen a Redeye Widebody yet, however. It’s not long before we sidle up next to a Demon that’s a dead ringer for one in Mark’s collection (which bears VIN 10) except that it lacks his car’s black hood/roof/decklid option. Mark is relieved to note that none of the Hellcats or Demons on Woodward are committing the cardinal sin of leaving the bright yellow chin-spoiler protectors on. “We made them yellow so they’d be too ugly to leave on!” he exclaims. The ultimate sin, spotted at a car show: leaving the yellow protector installed and protected with blue painter’s tape.

1987-1993 Fox Mustang

Mark’s impressionable first moments at the wheel of any car came in a 1979 Mercury Capri hatchback with a manual transmission. It was built on Ford’s Fox platform shared with this Mustang. His father (also a car designer) had bought it for his mother, and it was eventually handed down to him. A budding car designer even then, Mark couldn’t resist taking the car down to bare metal, painting it black, adding 16-inch wheels, and upgrading it with the later (’83–’86) bubble-window rear hatch. A very young Mark and the aging Capri survived a carjacking in Detroit; he ended up recovering the car about a week later. Although we made umpteen laps of the hottest stretch of Woodward, we never found a Fox Capri (and saw darned few Fox Mustangs). This was the closest we came—and Mark was quick to note that this one’s modifications might not exactly match his personal taste …

2008-2010 Dodge Viper SRT 10

Mark worked internships with both GM and Chrysler design groups, but it was the Viper that inspired him to accept a job with Chrysler shortly after he graduated from the College for Creative Studies in 1992. He basically wanted to work for any company crazy or bold enough to make such a car, and sure enough, by 2011 he was in charge of the group designing the Viper. Mark previously owned a 1992 Viper, and he currently has VIN 001 of the 2017 model Viper painted in—what else?—designer’s black.

1968 Plymouth Road Runner

Mark is ever the Mopar fan, and this slightly grungy base 383 Plymouth Road Runner really caught his eye. It’s missing its Looney Tunes cartoon Road Runner decals and rear hubcaps, and its mismatched tires lend it a strong function-over-form vibe that really suits Woodward. We did not succeed in prevailing upon the owner to demonstrate its “beep-beep” horn function …

1965-1967 Mk III AC/Shelby Cobra 427

Get many designers going about iconic car designs they love, and this one comes up a lot. It quite obviously inspired the original Viper, and Mark would love to own one. It’s pretty hard (but not impossible) to imagine someone wheeling an original down Woodward, but if this is a reproduction it’s at least a very faithful knockoff with no obvious cheating on the dimensions or build quality.

1967 “Eleanoresque” Mustang

Mark was obviously destined for a life in design, given that he couldn’t leave the design of his very first hand-me-down car alone. Today he loves seeing how other people alter production designs, enhancing the line work, emphasizing the proportion, using color and sheen to show off the lines. He was very favorably impressed by this matte monochrome bronze ’67 Mustang that had a vaguely Eleanor/Gone in 60 Seconds vibe to it—but with far greater subtlety. The wheel diameters and offsets perfectly fill the arches, the hood has a Demon-like air inlet, the blacked-out chrome greenhouse trim and body-color bumpers look great, and the bronze-tint headlight lenses finish it off superbly.

1948-1951 Studebaker Starlight Coupe

When asked how the mods on this Studebaker struck him, Mark’s one-word answer was a diplomatic “polarizing.” There’s no arguing with the quality of the coachwork, which is impressive. A true artisan mixed the cleaner horizontal taillight design of the ’48–’49 Starlight coupe with the more iconic bullet-nose front end from the ’50–’51 design. Chopping the roof looks kind of cool, but the rear glass isn’t chopped enough to preserve the roof’s curvature. That’s great for rear visibility—less great for preserving the original Virgil Exner/Raymond Loewy design’s beauty.

1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda

Mark once owned a ’70 ’Cuda, though his car only packed a 360 under the hood. This one is nicely outfitted with the big-block 440, Go Wing, rally wheels, and Limelight Poly green paint.

1970 Dodge Challenger R/T

We round out our Mopar Muscle car-spotting adventure with this modestly equipped Challenger R/T, sporting a twin-nostril hood and a curious combination of a black hood stripe and white side stripes. But the factory wheels and white-letter tires really set the car off nicely, and it looked great prowling the Avenue in a sea of even wider, taller LC body Challengers.

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robertkstone · 6 years

Text

2018 Woodward Dream Cruise: Cruising with Fiat-Chrysler/SRT’s Mark Trostle

2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon

1987-1993 Fox Mustang

2008-2010 Dodge Viper SRT 10

1968 Plymouth Road Runner

1965-1967 Mk III AC/Shelby Cobra 427

1967 “Eleanoresque” Mustang

1948-1951 Studebaker Starlight Coupe

1970 Plymouth ‘Cuda

Mark once owned a ’70 ’Cuda, though his car only packed a 360 under the hood. This one is nicely outfitted with the big-block 440, Go Wing, rally wheels, and Limelight Poly green paint.

1970 Dodge Challenger R/T

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